Protecting the Prat
by monkey76
Summary: Determined to save Merlin's life, Arthur and the knights set off on a quest to change the future. They think they've left Merlin behind for his own safety, but Merlin has other plans. Companion to "Fighting Fate."


**Important note: If you have not been reading my story "Fighting Fate" this will make very little sense to you. I recommend reading through Chapter 5 of that story before even looking at this one, because this is just meant to supplement that story with events from Merlin's point of view. ****This will not be a complete retelling of that story, though. It will be more like a collection of one-shot stories that serve almost like deleted scenes.**

**This first chapter is what happens immediately after Merlin leaves Arthur's chambers in "Fighting Fate." You'll get to see Merlin eavesdropping on Mordred and Gaius revealing Arthur's dreams to Merlin. I hope that will fill a lot of the gaps and answer some questions many readers had.**

**I have a few chapters planned/partially written and will probably write some others if I feel they are necessary to explain Merlin's actions in the main story.**

**Anyway, happy reading and please review!**

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Merlin was furious as he stomped down the corridor that led away from the king's chambers. It was surely quite a sight for the rest of the castle staff. He was normally quite cheerful and sociable, so a fuming Merlin storming past his fellow servants and even Sir Gwaine was sure to be surprising.

Only one person ever had the ability to get under his skin so badly: the stupid, arrogant, bullying prat of a king.

How dare Arthur think him too weak to come on the patrol. Merlin had held his own many times in battles—both big and small—and even without knowledge of Merlin's magic, Arthur should not be able to argue against that. Yet, time and time again, Arthur picked on Merlin for his supposed lack of fighting prowess, and now he was going to just leave him behind.

If Arthur only knew all that Merlin could do, he would not be so quick write him off as defenseless. In the pit of his stomach, Merlin feared that was the problem.

The night that he and Arthur had sent Uther's ghost away, he'd been sure that Arthur had blown the Horn of Cathbadh just in time to stop Uther telling him about Merlin's magic. It had been an incredibly close and terrifying call. Just one more word from Uther and everything Merlin had ever worked toward would have been for naught. He couldn't think of a worse circumstance for Arthur learning the truth and had been relieved when Uther disappeared.

But then Arthur had begun to act rather strangely. The next morning, he had barely even touched his breakfast and had watched Merlin pick up his chambers with much scrutiny. As soon as Merlin had asked about the strange behavior, he'd been sent away to muck out the stables.

The following day, Arthur had hardly waited for Merlin to pull his curtains open before sending him to clean the dungeons, and the days after had proceeded in a similar manner. For more than a week, Merlin had barely seen his master.

Merlin began to wonder if Arthur had heard Uther. He had nearly confronted Arthur about it, but he couldn't be sure. Besides, Arthur had not killed him yet, which was surely a good sign if he did know. At least, Merlin hoped it was a good sign.

The only good thing that had come of his master's distance was the opportunity to watch Mordred more closely.

The young druid turned knight unnerved him. Merlin might have felt less edgy if Mordred were more obviously evil or resentful of Arthur. At least then the vision of him killing Arthur would make more sense. The uncertainty was much worse for Merlin. Mordred appeared to be completely loyal and devoted to Arthur. Merlin could even venture to say that Mordred worshipped his king. At training, he pushed himself to prove his worth and sought Arthur's approval. At feasts, he hung on the Arthur's every word.

If Merlin had not been forewarned of Mordred's eventual treachery, he might describe him as the perfect knight. He was calm, quiet and respectful. He proudly met every challenge and would help anyone who required it of him. No one was too important or too small to earn his help—he had even assisted Merlin with a chore or two since arriving in Camelot. He seemed nothing like the bitter young boy Merlin had last encountered years ago, and part of Merlin truly believed that there was no malice or resentment. Mordred was a good man.

But the vision said otherwise.

Merlin knew very well how precarious visions could be, though. More than once, he had caused a vision to happen by trying to prevent it. This presented a terrible predicament. In light of Mordred's apparent virtues, should Merlin just go on ignoring the vision and hope that Mordred is never steered down the path of evil? Or should Merlin try to stop Mordred before he became a threat to Arthur? Would either idleness or well-intended actions against Mordred lead to Arthur's downfall?

Gaius supported the more passive course. He sensed that his old mentor was worried about his state of mind. Merlin had slept terribly for many nights when Mordred had first come to Camelot. He had constantly been on edge and had been suspicious of Mordred's every action. Gaius had voiced concern that he was becoming obsessed with something that might not even come to pass.

Unfortunately, too many things had happened for Merlin to relax. After years with no sign of her, Morgana had reared her head and now had Aithusa to aid her. Omens of Arthur's doom were much stronger and pressing, and Mordred was not only at the heart of the prophesy but also at the heart of Camelot.

It was hard and exhausting work protecting a prat who didn't even have the courtesy to recognize that Merlin was perfectly capable of protecting himself.

Upon entering the kitchen, Merlin was met by the newest kitchenmaid Adalind. She was a pretty thing, small in stature and with curly red hair. Merlin rather liked her company, as she had been sweet and friendly to him ever since she'd come to Camelot. He was particularly appreciative that she often braved Mary's wrath to sneak him fresh dumplings. She was soft-spoken and a little unsure of herself, but Merlin didn't mind that much. She always laughed at his jokes and her shy smile reminded him a bit of Freya.

"Oh, hello, Merlin," she chirped from where she appeared to be putting away some fruits from the market. "What brings you back here already? It can't be time for the king's lunch yet, can it?"

"He'll not be having it today," Merlin said sourly. "Stupid prat has me running around to prepare for another last-minute trip."

Adalind gave him a sympathetic look. It wasn't the first time that Merlin had complained to her about Arthur's spontaneous travels, though it might have been the first time Merlin had ever felt truly resentful of it.

"You'll be needing provisions, then?" Adalind asked.

"A week's worth for... erm..." Merlin trailed off upon realizing that he didn't know how many were traveling with Arthur. With Morgana out there, the king was bound to be bringing only his most trusted knights, so Merlin could easily guess whom that might be. "Enough to last five men for a week. Do you think you could have it within the hour? He's in a bit of a rush."

"Very well." She wiped her hands on her apron and took the leather satchel from him. Before walking away, she leaned in and whispered conspiratorially, "I'll add some dumplings for you."

"No point in that," Merlin lamented. "I won't be traveling with him."

Adalind froze from where she'd been reaching for a shelf high above her head and turned to look at him again. "But you always go with the king."

"Not this time." Merlin easily grabbed the jar she'd been trying to reach and handed it to her.

She blushed and nodded her thanks.

"What are you doing in my kitchen at this time?" Mary called as she finally noticed the servant's presence. "Didn't drop His Highness's breakfast again, did you?"

For some reason long ago lost on Merlin, Mary had decided that she liked him about as much as she liked a grimy, wet dog in her kitchens. In fact, Merlin believed she might treat the dog better.

"I do not drop his breakfast," Merlin objected. "And it isn't my fault if he chooses to throw his food at me, is it?"

Her dubious expression told that she believed it was his fault.

"I'm here for camping provisions for the king," he informed her.

"Adalind, assist him so he can be on his way. I don't want his grubby fingers touching any of my food." Merlin had to leap out of her way as she stormed past him toward the store rooms. "And keep him away from my dumplings!"

"Always a pleasure, Mary," he muttered.

"So you will be in Camelot for the week?" Adalind asked softly. "Will you have much free time without the king here?"

Merlin sighed. "Not if I can help it." If Arthur truly believed that Merlin was going to sit back at Camelot and wait for him to get killed by an evil sorceress, he was a bigger dollophead than Merlin gave him credit for. "Actually, maybe you should make that provisions for six."

"Oh." Adalind looked a bit crestfallen at his response, but she quickly went back to bustling around the kitchen. "Best be on your way, then. I'll have this ready when you come back for it."

"Thank you, Addy. You're the best."

She blushed again, the tips of her ears nearly matching the red of her hair.

On his way toward the stables, Merlin crossed paths with Mordred and Galahd. The pair seemed deeply engrossed in their conversation about their patrol.

"Shouldn't we be worried that Odin had so many men in Gedref?" Mordred asked. "I thought that Odin was a sworn enemy of the king."

"He has not acted against King Arthur in years," Galahad said. "Sir Gareth will surely explain the encounter in his report to Sir Leon, but I doubt it is anything of concern."

"Twenty men is larger than our average patrol, though. I felt wrong just letting them go one their way."

Galahad clapped Mordred on the shoulder. "It is nothing for you to worry about. You are eager to prove yourself, Mordred, but you must trust in your superiors' decisions."

Of course, Merlin was just as suspicious of this finding as Mordred seemed to be. What kind of business could twenty knights from Odin's land possibly have in Nemeth? It couldn't be a coincidence that both Morgana and Odin were possibly active in the area.

Merlin found himself changing course and dashing toward the physician's chambers where he lived with Gaius.

"Merlin?" his guardian called as he stormed past him toward his own small bedroom.

"Sorry, can't stop to talk, Gaius," he said as he grabbed his own satchel and haphazardly packed it with the things he would need. "I've got to prepare for Arthur's journey and manage to sneak out of Camelot ahead of him in the next hour or so."

"Merlin—"

"The clotpole actually thinks he can leave Camelot without me," Merlin continued. "As if I would stay behind when he'd about to ride into battle with Morgana."

"Merlin—"

"He cancelled the regular patrol and everything just this morning and decided he would go himself. And then he tells me he plans to leave me behind in Camelot because I'm too 'defenseless.' Do you know how badly I sometimes wish I could light his trousers on fire with magic? See how defenseless he thinks I am then!"

"Merlin—"

"But I can't let him go alone. Not with Morgana out there and not with Odin up to something in Nemeth."

"Merlin—"

"I'm sorry, Gaius, but I don't have time to explain it any further," Merlin said as he shouldered his bag and made toward the door.

"Merlin, you will stop and listen this instant!" Gaius cried. "It is very important. I know the true reason that Arthur is traveling to Nemeth."

The young warlock stopped and spun on his heel at the urgent tone in the old man's voice.

"I wanted to tell you this morning, but you ran out of here before I had the chance and..." Gaius trailed off and sighed.

"What is it, Gaius?" Merlin asked.

"You." He sat down heavily at the table bench and looked up wearily at his ward. "For several days, Arthur has complained of vivid nightmares. It did not take long for us to piece together that his trip to the spirit world to see Uther had made him vulnerable magic. Arthur has been having premonitions not unlike the ones afflicting Morgana years ago."

"Premonitions? Gaius, you can't be serious. Arthur doesn't have a magical bone in his body."

"Yes, Arthur is no magical being, but he is not the first to experience visions after using the Horn of Cathbhadh."

Merlin frowned. "What's all that got to do with me and this quest?"

"Arthur has seen your death," Gaius explained gravely. "It's the subject of every vision. Morgana enchants him to kill you."

Merlin's stomach clenched at the words. "Me?"

Gaius did not meet his eyes. "Arthur doesn't understand what it all means, of course, but he said that she finds out about Emrys."

"That's not... How can that _be_, Gaius? She doesn't even know that I have magic."

"I don't know, my boy."

They were both silent for the moments that followed the revelation. It seemed that Merlin's brain couldn't quite muddle through the new information and had stopped working altogether. So instead of thinking, Merlin concentrated on his breathing, which he found to be alarmingly fast. It was not surprising, though. Trauma could do that to a person. He vaguely wondered if this counted as trauma but decided he could ponder that later. There was plenty to worry about already.

Of all the explanations for Arthur's strange behavior, Merlin had never anticipated this. He wondered what would have been worse: Uther revealing Merlin's magic to Arthur or Morgana telling him. Neither was particularly appealing to the warlock at the moment.

Gaius was the first to break their silence. "I am truly sorry I did not tell you sooner, but I didn't know what it meant at first. It may have just been nightmares, and I didn't want to worry you any more than you already were. You have carried such an enormous weight on your shoulders since Ismere. Your fear of one vision was stressful enough without fearing your own death."

Merlin sighed and ran a hand over his face. "So he didn't hear Uther, after all?"

"What do you mean?" Gaius asked.

"Just before Arthur banished Uther's spirit, Uther nearly managed to tell him about my magic. I thought... The way Arthur had been acting this past week, I thought that perhaps he had heard or had pieced it together. He kept sending me away and giving me ridiculous chores. I have never known him to be so distant. I've spent this entire week terrified that he knew about my magic and that he hated me, Gaius."

Gaius gave him a sympathetic look. "I think it is safe to assume that Arthur does not hate you. He is doing this for you."

Merlin felt a warmth grow in his chest at the thought. He and Arthur truly had come a long way since his arrival in Camelot. They had once been hard pressed to bear each other's company, and now the king was willing to risk his life on a quest to protect Merlin.

Well, Merlin would be a total turniphead if he actually allowed that to happen. "Morgana is dangerous. I can't let him do this, Gaius."

"I know and I will not attempt to stop you. You must follow him, but _please_ be safe, Merlin." The old man looked sadly upon his ward. "If anything were to happen to you..."

"It won't, because I am going to find Morgana before Arthur does."

"What do you plan to do?"

"I doubt she knows yet that I am Emrys," Merlin said, "so I have the element of surprise on my side. She probably isn't plotting to kill me just yet. I'll just have to find her before she does find out."

"But we do not know how she finds out," Gaius argued. "You know as well as I that trying to prevent the events of a vision can very well lead to them occurring."

"I have to take that chance. If the choice is between Arthur's certain death and the possibility that following him could endanger me, you know what I must choose, Gaius. Besides, I have a plan... Well, half a plan, but some of my best rescues have been built on less."

His guardian did not laugh at his joke. Rather, he looked anxious and sad. Merlin captured him in a firm hug and said softly, "I promise I will be safe."

"I doubt I need to tell you how very proud I am of you," Gaius started.

Merlin pulled away and held him at arm's length. "You can tell me when Arthur and I both come back alive, yeah?" He offered a small smile, which the physician returned.

"I'll have your favorite meal waiting."


End file.
